06/19/2026
Tomorrow I'm photographing Julia and Owen's wedding, and today is the calm before the busy day ahead! Here's a little peek into what goes into wedding prep on my end!
The behind the scenes prep is real! Cleaning every lens, charging every battery (and the backup batteries, and the backup backup batteries), and formatting every memory card, plus making sure I have plenty of backup cards packed too. You can never have too much storage on a day like this!
The timeline and family shot list get finalized together with the couple the week before, so today is just a check in text. I remind them to hydrate extra today, rest tonight and I reiterate the exact time I'll see them tomorrow. I always plan to arrive about 30 minutes before I'm needed so I can scope out the venue if it's somewhere I haven't shot before and introduce myself to the coordinators and vendors.
Packing the car is its own event (my wonderful husband helps with this part!) I pack snacks, Gatorade, a backup outfit in case I end up kneeling in grass or mud for the perfect shot. Funny enough, I actually own two of the exact same dress that I wear to weddings, so if I do change mid day, the couple will probably never even notice. This is my 14th wedding season, and I've come up with my own little tricks of the trade!
And after fourteen years of hauling all my gear on my back, I finally bought a wagon this year and I am never going back. My shoulders have never been happier (...when you're 4'11" carrying a long bag of light stands...things get complicated...)
Then there's the family shot list, which is its own kind of skill once we're actually on site. Making sure nobody wanders off right before their turn, keeping the names organized so we're not standing around calling people one at a time, and always, always appointing one person with a loud voice who knows the whole family to help corral everyone into place. That person is worth their weight in gold on a wedding day!
What people don't always realize is how much of this job happens before we ever pick up a camera. I want my couples to actually be present on their wedding day, not stuck posing for hours or worrying about what's next. Enough photos to capture everything that matters without so many that they spend the whole day performing for a camera instead of enjoying their day!
I also remind every couple to drink water throughout the day. Weddings are long, emotional, and somehow always warmer than expected. A hydrated couple is a couple who actually remembers their own wedding!
Meanwhile I'll be over here drinking my water and strategically not drinking too much of it, because there is no elegant way to ask a wedding party to pause for a bathroom break. The things we do for the perfect golden hour shot! Though I do look forward to a crispy Diet Coke during the reception!
Here's to a beautiful day tomorrow for Julia and Owen!!!
